Omero describes it as having the head of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail in the form of a serpent.

Arezzo (296 metres above sea level) boasts Etruscan origins, as testifies the Chimera, certainly one of the most famous works of art produced by the mysterious people coming from Lydia.

The bronze artefact was found in 1533 close to Porta di San Lorentino and today is conserved in the Archaeological Museum of Florence However, in Petrarch`s birthplace you can find many copies of the mythological monster slain by Bellerophon.

Situated along the most important routes connecting northern to central Italy, at the junction of three valleys - Casentino, Valdichiana and Valdarno -, in the 3rd century B.C. Arezzo became a Roman municipium called Arretium.

Traces of this period are still visible in the amphitheatre and, right opposite the ruins of the big building dating back to Emperor Hadrian`s era, in the state Archaeological Museum Gaio Cilnio Mecenate. However, Arezzo and its hinterland are rich in Roman villas: you can find them in Bibbiena, Castel Focognano, Campo della Giostra...

After the fall of the Roman Empire, between the 6th and the 11th century, the Langobards - who built several castles in Arezzo and its surroundings - and then Charlemagne and the Franks repeatedly invaded the town. So, if you love history and you are spending your holidays in Tuscany, Arezzo is definitely worth a one-week stay.